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This is a course in reading the texts that have shaped the cultural landscape of the modern world. Whereas most courses of this variety treat works of literature as stand-alone entities, this course looks at works of literature in the artistic, philosophical, and political context of their times. Covering works chronologically from the late medieval period to the present, we will focus on artistic, political, and social background as prelude to discussion of literary texts. In other words, in preparation for our discussions of works by authors such as Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Wordsworth, Dickinson, and Eliot, we will cover the works of Giotto, the Limbourg Brothers, Leonardo, David, Constable, Van Gogh, and Picasso as well as the general political and social background of their respective eras. Though we will give much energy to covering these big names, we will also save much of the course for lesser-known figures and figures out of the European mainstream. Prerequisites: Composition (English 101) All students have some background in literature and the humanities. The aims of this course are to build upon the background students already have and to help students to unlearn anything that has inhibited them in their previous studies in the humanities. (See also Weekly Overviews in the Course Packet for more specific objectives.) Students in this course will develop a fuller understanding of: the various types or genres of literature; the cultural and historical contexts of various works of literature; the inter-relationship between literature and other fields of knowledge. Students will also develop a fuller understanding of the importance of literature; the importance of beauty; the importance of history; and the importance of self-reflection and self-knowledge. Students will also enhance a variety of skills that will be transferable to other areas of academic learning: thinking critically (thinking independently about concepts); synthesizing knowledge from various fields; writing effectively; researching efficiently; using the internet and web-based communication. The primary objective for the course is for students to be able to appreciate literature. Appreciating literature does not simply mean enjoying it or understanding what happens in it. To appreciate literature is to understand how it works and what it meant in the age it was written. In order to do understand how it works, we must look at it closely: we do not simply react to it, but try to examine the reasons we have reacted to it as we have. Sometimes, when we look at a work closely, we actually change our perspective on it or the world from which it came. The best way to look at a work closely is to read it in its historical context. So, as we read and discuss each of the works, we will also talk about the times in which each work was written. We will touch upon political, social, philosophical, scientific, and theological history as we attempt to understand these works. In almost all cases, we will make correspondences between the works of literature we are covering and works of art of the same era. When you read a work carefully and react to it, you should trust your reaction. Your next step is to try to understand why you reacted that way. If you can identify specific parts of the work that led to your reaction, then you will be able to explain your position on the work. The next step is to try to understand the work as the original audience might have understood it. As we read a given work, we will see it somewhat differently than the original audience. When we see how the original audience might have seen the work, however, we sometimes change our opinion of the work, the writer, or the original audience. The purpose of this class is not to learn what I have to say about a handful of works of literature. If you do so, you may pass the course on paper, but you will have missed the point. The point of taking this class is for you learn how to appreciate literature on your own. Many people come to this class perfectly able to remember what someone else said about something. That is fine, but I want you to be able to leave this class able to say something of your own. Schedule. Try to read what is on the syllabus for each week so that you will be able to follow our discussion. We will try to keep on schedule, though we may occasionally get a bit behind. Cancellations. In the event that we need to cancel a class, we will usually make up the class via videotape, perhaps with some web supplement. In general, all classes should be available on videotape at your site: if you can not make it to class, you can always watch the video at a better time. Class Participation. I love to hear what you have to say about course materials (I already know what I have to say). Whether you are in the classroom or at a distance, please do not hesitate to speak up. Distance students only need to call 1-800-696-1127. Chris will answer the phone and connect you to me. There is always a great deal to say that does not get said in class, so part of our participation will take place on-line on our Blackboard site. Blackboard: As some of this class is run via the web, that is, on Blackboard software, it is a good idea to get used to it quickly. There is some assistance at the end of this Course Packet to help you to get started. The first step is to go to http://www.courses.maine.edu. Though you might have some initial problems, one phone call to the Help Line (1-800-696-4357) should solve them for you. At first, it may seem intimidating, but soon it becomes as easy as washing your hands. IMP E-Mail. When you register for this class, you are automatically entered into the Blackboard program. If you have not otherwise specified an e-mail address, you will be given a “maine.edu” e-mail address. You can access this mail from any internet connection at http://mail.maine.edu/imp. (You can find out what your e-mail address is by going to the Class Roster (under Communication) in the Blackboard site. You are welcome to use your IMP account as long as you like. If you prefer, however, to receive your e-mail under another account, please go to Personal Information (under Tools) in Blackboard and change your e-mail account. William Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Signet). Voltaire. Candide (Signet). Shelley. Frankenstein. (Signet). Packet of Shorter Readings and Handouts. Supplementary Material at http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/introlit You will also receive a free note-taking packet to help you organize your notes on the works of art we cover. Hacker. A Writers Reference. Or any good college writing handbook. Merriam-Webster’s Tenth Collegiate Dictionary. Or any good college dictionary (not a paperback). A Bible. (Most any version will due, but not all Protestant Bibles include all the books in the Catholic Bible.) A Book of Mythology. (Edith Hamilton's Mythology or H. S. Robinson and K. Wilson's Myths and Legends of All Nations are good tools.) Plenty of paper and pencils, and enough computer disks. Time: Time to read and reflect; Time to write and even more time to re-write. A Quiet Study Place. Lots of Sleep. A Sense of Humor 15% Essay #1* 15% Essay #2* 40% Quizzes (Four of five quizzes: 10% each.)** 20% Course Project*** 10% Preliminary Work For Class Project**** xx% Attendance at all class meetings. *These will be relatively short essays. These topics will be distributed on the same day as your quizzes. Though you will see probably a total of ten topics, you will need to complete only two topics. If you choose to work on a given topic, the essay is due by one week after the quiz is given. **Quizzes will be given almost every other week. These will take 10-15 minutes each. We will drop the lowest quiz score. The maximum score on a quiz will be 10 points. ***Further information on your Course Project is included in the early pages of the Course Packet and in the pages between the weekly readings. (Approximately 1750-2500 words.) ****All of these preliminary assignments must be completed before I will read your course project; in other words, no credit will be given for a project unless all the preliminaries have been completed. Any preliminary assignment not completed at least six days before the project is turned in will result in a lowered grade for the project. Though I think of grades in letter terms, not numbers, I offer this translation for your assistance. You will notice that I will sometimes give a split grade, e.g., B / B+ . It simply means that you are somewhere in that vicinity. A+ = 97-100 A = 93-96 A- = 90-92 B+ = 87-89 B = 83-86 B- = 80-82 C+ = 77-79 C = 73-76 C- = 70-72 D+ = 67-69 D = 63=66 D- = 60-62 F = 0-59 FF = 0 (See Policy on Plagiarism) In this class, as in all of your classes, you are expected to attend all of your class meetings. I take attendance at the UMM site, as do all of the site coordinators. When students do poorly in this class, the biggest reason is that they do not attend class. As I hope you will do well in the class, I hope that you will attend faithfully. Though I expect that you will attend class, whether you are an on-campus or a distance student, on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 9:45, I know that it will not always be possible. If you need to attend one or more (or all) class meetings via tape delay, that is perfectly fine as well. I encourage you to take advantage of the live sessions, though, as most students seem to be far more attentive under live conditions. If that is not possible, I hope you will ask your questions via email, telephone, the Blackboard Conference, or even in person. Unless other arrangements have been made, all on-site students are expected to attend the entire class every week. If you leave class early, you will need to furnish written proof that you watched the video; otherwise, you will be marked as absent. I strongly advise you not to get behind and not to skip any class meetings (live or via tape). Learning is most effective in a community, even a techno-community. Do not try to fool yourself. I expect you to be fully attentive, courteous, and professional at all times. This means that I expect that you will: be punctual for all class meetings, as we begin on time every week; be attentive to the instructor and to all other members of the class; ask questions when you do not understand what others, including me, say; keep you attention focused on the topic at hand; do your best to assist others in their learning. (continued on next page) I expect that you will not: take breaks during class (I expect that you will take care of personal needs before and after class); engage in private conversations when others have the floor; distract others with your eating or drinking; read newspapers or anything that is not pertinent to the class; do work for other classes; pack up early—we work the full period in this class. All late work will be downgraded one full grade per week after the deadline, the minimum penalty being a half grade. I do make exceptions, but I have two conditions: the student must request an extension at least twenty-four hours before an assignment is due; the student must turn in a draft of the work-in-progress, which must demonstrate that the student has made a substantial effort. Quizzes must be taken at class time. Since this is a large class, I ask that you do your part to submit your work on time. As I usually do not begin to grade until I receive all the assignments, you will be doing your peers a dis-service by submitting your work late. You will have ample time to work on your papers, so arrange your schedule as needed. Do not wait until the last day to get started: start immediately. If you do so, you can consult me about any questions you have before it is too late. In any case, I would much prefer that you ask for an extension than you hand in sloppy or incomplete work. We are not born with an innate ability to write, and we are certainly not born with an ability to write about literature and other arts. In recognition of this fact, we offer three resources that will help you with writing in the course. First, I will help you. We can do this in person, or via email, phone, or Blackboard. Second, we will have a teaching assistant for the course; this is most likely a senior who has done well in this course and has a great deal of experience writing. Third, the UMM Writing Center is equipped to assist you both online and in person. Get started by going to http://www.umm.maine.edu/writingcenter. Please take advantage of these resources: there is no reason to be shy about them; they can make a big difference. Any student found guilty of willful plagiarism (claiming another’s work to be one’s own) will be dropped from the course immediately and given a grade of F. The student’s name will then be submitted to the student’s advisor, the Student Affairs Officer, and the Academic Dean with a recommendation that further action be taken. Occasionally a student will accidentally forget to include a reference for a work that has been used, quoted, or paraphrased in the student’s paper. In this case, the student’s work will not be assigned a grade until the proper citations have been submitted to me. Often these problems can be avoided by consulting the proper reference materials, such as A Writer’s Reference. See also the handouts on writing at the beginning of your Course Packet. Naturally, this course is built for your success. Here are ten tips that will do much to ensure your success: do all work conscientiously, and hand it in punctually; ask questions when you do not understand the point or the assignment; take your writing seriously, always with an aim to improve it; read assigned material before class; when you are reading, jot down important points and items you do not understand; attend all classes and participate in all of them; begin early on your longer assignments; be creative, i.e., try to do things in such a way that no one would think of; read directions and follow them as best you can; if you have any sort of problems that will affect your work, let me know. Please take advantage of your resources. There are a lot of resources all around you. Whether it is me or our teaching assistant or our online help or the UMM Writing Center or the week-by-week instructions in the course packet or your site coordinator or other members in the class, you have a lot of help available to you. I have tried to design the course and the materials in the course packet with your success in mind. The only thing, though, that will make you succeed in this course is you. If you do the work and ask for help when you need it, you will do well. If you find at any point in this course that you need help in any area, contact me or UMM ITV (255-1241 or 1-800-696-1127) immediately. This class is your class: its success depends on you. If everyone puts a sincere effort into it, it will surely be a lively, energetic class. So, I will depend on you. If there is anything that will affect your performance in this class, you should let me know as soon as possible. If it is a serious matter, you should also let the Office of Academic Affairs know as well (255-1224). Everyone here at UMM (and the UMS) wants to see you succeed, and we will do everything we can to help you. So please let us help you in whatever ways we can. © 2003 Gerard NeCastro
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